tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677826134041373974.post8244215476077281298..comments2024-03-13T02:18:02.212-05:00Comments on Liar! Liar!: Teach How to Think, Not What to ThinkPanderbearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00185774806038118146noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677826134041373974.post-59823746585636410682012-03-30T17:15:17.199-05:002012-03-30T17:15:17.199-05:00PHarmanci,
Little of Panderbear's understandi...PHarmanci,<br /><br />Little of Panderbear's understanding of how to think came in primary or secondary school and that's where it's really needed. Most came as an undergraduate and graduate student in physics (along with some formal logic and political science) at U.C. Berkeley way back in the middle ages.Panderbearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00185774806038118146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677826134041373974.post-27422806672974579652012-03-30T17:02:37.331-05:002012-03-30T17:02:37.331-05:00PHarmanci,
Thanks for the reply.
Bumper-sticker ...PHarmanci,<br /><br />Thanks for the reply.<br /><br />Bumper-sticker politics and sound-byte talking points are too simpleminded to work in our complex world. They win elections by pandering to low-information voters, but have no chance of solving our real world challenges. There is simply no substitute for an informed (not to mention intelligent) electorate.<br /><br />"If a nation expectsPanderbearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00185774806038118146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677826134041373974.post-78199406202680057552012-03-30T16:54:24.206-05:002012-03-30T16:54:24.206-05:00One more comment, if I may: in college physics cl...One more comment, if I may: in college physics class, our professor was not the norm at the time-- he wanted us to THINK. So instead of giving exams of the plug-in-the-formula variety, he would start questions like "if a flea jumped....". Few of the class would pass. Frustrated, he said "guess I have to teach you how to think and approach problems"! So he ran a remedial Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677826134041373974.post-31646471153551758202012-03-30T16:42:04.305-05:002012-03-30T16:42:04.305-05:00Boy, are you guys spot on! Thank you, Panderbear ...Boy, are you guys spot on! Thank you, Panderbear for bringing this subject to the forefront. How can we elect decent legislators if we can't understand the issues? And when you can't understand the issues, you tend to ignore them and go with what sounds the easiest for you to understand, which leads us to the Sarah Palins & Rick Santorums!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677826134041373974.post-62277768093557429692012-03-30T14:51:29.069-05:002012-03-30T14:51:29.069-05:00Bill,
Thanks for a thoughtful reply. Inability to...Bill,<br /><br />Thanks for a thoughtful reply. Inability to properly interpret statistics leads many to misinterpret what the numbers or charts are saying or to conclude that they are just lies, even when they present verifiable facts. They discount the truth. American Exceptionalism is particular unhelpful in trying to identify problems and potential solutions by making the unwary think we havePanderbearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00185774806038118146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677826134041373974.post-78727160323582491892012-03-30T13:07:58.558-05:002012-03-30T13:07:58.558-05:00Totally agree. I think the tragic flaw in our &qu...Totally agree. I think the tragic flaw in our "educational" system is that it fails to provide our kids with a basic "how to learn" toolkit for navigating the modern world. Very much like focusing on individual fish (facts) as opposed to teaching them how to fish (identify and work with facts).<br /><br />In addition to logical reasoning, I'd argue that other essential (Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com